Scars of Truth
by FlippinAmazing
Summary: (A Short Story) A in depth look at Squall and Seifer's training on the cliffs. It's a short story, but please read and reveiw!


Scars of Truth  
  
  
  
The sun was out, but probably not for long. As the dark clouds of the west neared the winds started to change. But for now Squall Leonhart was blessed with a blue sky above him. The lengthy stretch from the garden to the mountain took a good few hours, and that doesn't include the trip up the mount. The mountain just didn't seem to get any closer. A pebble hit him in the back pretty hard. Squall turned around with an annoyed look on his face.  
  
"Just practicing my eye-hand coordination, you know training." Seifer Almasy was standing there with his gunblade in the baseball batter stance and a smug smile on his squared jaw, "Well, my accuracy isn't getting any better, I was aiming for your head."  
  
"Oh, to bad. If you haven't forgot we're training in the close combat area today with gunblades. I'm sorry to tell you that hitting pebbles at your enemies won't kill them Seifer," Squall informed Seifer who didn't particularly seem to be paying attention. he was wandering past Squall in the direction of the mountain. Squall scoffed at the rudeness and thought out loud in the intent of letting Seifer, "How did I get stuck with such a stupid partner? They could have at least paired me up with someone who doesn't have selective hearing."  
  
"They could have at least paired me up with a partner who could actually insult me," Seifer mocked Squall with out even looking back to see his reaction and kept walking. A smile started to part on Seifer's face, but he quickly dismissed the self flatterness to his own humor.  
  
"What is your problem? We've all been wondering sense you came to Garden. You try to be the cool guy, try being the key word. Did you get rejected by your parents when you were born or something. I mean you don't even try to be nice to anyone, and that's the least of your flaws. I could go on for hours about how much of a poser you are!" Squall felt his adrenaline rise and finally Seifer turned around with a surprisingly calm look on his face, which is sometimes the scariest look that Seifer could posses. Squall was kind of taken back as Seifer started to walk slowly toward him with a blank stare on his face. Seifer stood a few inches from Squall and just stared into his eyes emotionless, although Squall could decipher an unseen hatred in Seifer's eyes. Seifer's hand shot out and grabbed Squall by the neck. Squall squirmed to get loose, but Seifer just tightened his grip even more.  
  
"............You stay out of my way and you don't die............got it?" Seifer threatened. Seifer restricted his hold on Squall's neck a bit tighter for a second then threw him to the ground. Seifer looked at him down at the ground, then laughed wickedly. He quickly turned and ran toward the mountain.  
  
Squall just lay there feeling his neck which he swore had finger wholes in it. He took a moment to catch his breath then got up. He started out after his attacker who just then started to slow to a walk. What is his problem? Rumbling of approaching thunder caught Squall's attention as he started to walk on.  
  
  
  
Finally Squall reached the base of the mountain where Seifer had disappeared from view long ago. Squall could feel some sweat collecting on his clammy hands. What if Seifer tries to kill me? What if he's really mad for some reason? Did I bring up some horrible reality? I always thought he would snap someday, is this that day? Geezo, why am I so nervous? Squall slowly made his way up the twisting trail wooded on both sides. He stopped for a second to rest and looked to his right where it dropped abruptly to a steep cliff, he took a step away from the cliff and carried on his trip.   
  
The path finally came to a fork, one path stayed to the outside on the mountain and the other one shot straight to his left right up the middle of the mountain labeled Garden Training Ground .Squall took that path and it started to blend into some man made steps and the path widened. The stone steps were old but sturdy and Squall became more nervous with each one he descended. He looked at his feet, fearing what Seifer would do, if he was angry he might pull a surprise move. So Squall looked up quickly to see if his foe was anywhere near. He wasn't, Squall came upon the brink of the staircase and Seifer was sitting on the edge of the cliff which opened up to a what would be beautiful view of the ocean, but the dark clouds had rolled in and the rumbles were getting even louder .  
  
Seifer stood up still looking out from the cliff and broke the silence, "This place smells of rotted blood, blood that was shed from the very flesh of hatred and anger. Squall this place isn't always used for training", Seifer turned around quickly and started to walk toward Squall swiftly, "People, SEEDS come up here to avenge. To let out anger and stress of their lives too."  
  
Squall was freaking out on the inside but kept a cool outer image, "What are you getting at Seifer?"  
  
Seifer stopped a few inches from Squalls face, "Are you afraid?"  
  
"Should I be?"  
  
"You've been nothing but trouble for me Squall. Your holding me back!"  
  
Seifer pulled his gunblade out quickly and Squall pulled his out just as quickly to block Seifer's surprise strike. The hatred in Seifer's eyes were apparent as the two gunblades screeched against each other. Seifer leaned in a bit more, inches from Squall, "I won't let you break my dream!"  
  
Seifer's eyes got a little intense and with a sudden force Seifer thrusted against Squall knocking him to the ground and then charged at him while down. Seifer tried to strike but Squall rolled away and jumped up. Squall tried to get Seifer while he was trying to pry his blade from the ground, but Seifer got it out just in time to spin around and block Squalls hit with one hand on his gunblade and one the ground to balance. Squall had two hands on his gunblade so he easily bent Seifer over.  
  
As Squall's blade slowly got closer to Seifer's head he could see his eyes widen in fear now, just then Seifer balanced all his weight on his one hand and kicked Squall away with both feet. Squall was stumbling back with the wind knocked out of him.  
  
Seifer smiled a bit as it started to rain. Seifer raised his arms and looked up at the rain his insane smile got bigger. "Ready Squall?"  
  
"Wha....."  
  
Seifer charged him again more aggressive this time and Squall put his gunblade up to block, but Seifer hit it out of Squall's hand as Squall was shuffling backward in a panic. Then Seifer grabbed Squall's head and head butt it. Squall stumbled and fell on his back as Seifer let him go, Seifer smiled and took a couple steps forward until he was standing over Squall. Seifer slowly stepped on Squall's throat as he was just regaining his composer.  
  
"Well it's been good Squall. You've been a bitter-sweet rival.......maybe to good of a rival. I'm sorry it had to end this way."  
  
Squall was grabbing at Seifer's shoe as he leaned even more on Squall's throat. There was a big boom that was fairly close. Squall looked up in horror as the silhouette of Seifer flashed as lightening lit up the sky. Seifer slowly turned his gunblade aroundto behead Squall.  
  
"Bye-bye Squall."  
  
Squall grabbed some dirt and gravel and threw it in Seifer's eyes, Seifer moaned and shook his head trying to get his vision back. That gave Squall enough time to grab a sharp rock and he stabbed Seifer's leg that had been on his throat, Seifer screamed in anguish as he grabbed his leg and Squall pushed him off.  
  
Squall rushed over to his gunblade which had slide quite a ways on the wet rocks.  
  
He turned around to see Seifer grab the rock out of his leg and throw it at Squall which he deflected with his blade. Squall was hunched over still trying to catch his breath and through the rain saw a glow coming from Seifer. Squall squinted trying to see what was going on and realized at the last second that Seifer was using magic.  
  
"Seif.....!" Squall screamed as the ball of fire was hurled toward him and hit him square in the chest. Squall was knocked back on his rear and immobilized. He had never felt this kind of pain. It stretched all the way up his body and all he could think about was the pain. Just as the pain was going away he looked up to see Seifer charging with his gunblade down at his side. In perfect stride Seifer thrusted up with his blade and got Squall right in the face from the left cheek bone up over his nose to his forehead. Squall head flew back with the spray of blood and the pain wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. Squall laid on the rock for a second feeling the blood run down his face and make a puddle on the already wet rocks. To Seifer's surprise Squall got up fairly quickly and took him by surprise as Squall came at him with extreme quickness and Seifer started to back up toward the cliff. Squall finally got to him and in stride hit Seifer square on the right cheek and cutting up over his nose and onto his forehead. Seifer was knocked back even further to the edge still stumbling. Seifer got to the edge and balanced on the edge for a second and fell off the 250 foot cliff. Squall jumped to the cliff's edge and grabbed Seifer's foot just in time. Seifer just looked up at him in complete surprise. Squall was completely tired and with the rain his grip was slipping. Squall threw his gunblade aside and grabbed on to Seifer's foot with both hands and slowly swung him back to the edge. Seifer grabbed on and pulled himself up. Seifer just laid there and Squall just crouched there by the edge both in compete shock at the events that just happened.  
  
Seifer stood up the blood still dripping off his face, picked up his gunblade and started to walk to the path that led down the mountain. He got to the top of the stair case and turned around and Squall just looked at him. Seifer nodded at him and turned around and left the battle ground. Squall cracked a grin and the rain stopped. 


End file.
